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Need help with safety of laser

Rede96

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Dec 24, 2014
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Hi, I bought a green 532nm laser pen when on holiday. The label says it is a class 2 and conforms to 21cfr. But the max output says it is <2000 mW

The pen has one of those kaleidoscope ends, but the end comes off to leave just a direct beem.

So I was a bit concerned if this is safe or not. As 2000mW causes flash blindness. If it is class 2 can the output really be 2000 mW?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 
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Teej

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Apr 16, 2014
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Hi, I bought a green 532nm laser pen when on holiday. The label says it is a class 2 and conforms to 21cfr. But the max output says it is <2000 mW

The pen has one of those kaleidoscope ends, but the end comes off to leave just a direct beem.

So I was a bit concerned if this is safe or not. As 2000mW causes flash blindness. If it is class 2 can the output really be 2000 mW?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks



Its hard to tell from here...as "< 2000 mw" can ALSO BE below 5 mw for example...or below 1 mw, etc.


As over 500 mw = class 4, etc...from here, there's no way to KNOW what numbers, if any, are appropriate.

A 2 watt 532 laser is a pretty powerful beast though...and, the " < " sign they used is probably needed as its more likely to be under 2 watts.

Until you find out, treat it as Class 4.


Any other info/clues?


:D
 
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Rede96

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Dec 24, 2014
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Its hard to tell from here...as "< 2000 mw" can ALSO BE below 5 mw for example...or below 1 mw, etc.


As over 500 mw = class 4, etc...from here, there's no way to KNOW what numbers, if any, are appropriate.

A 2 watt 532 laser is a pretty powerful beast though...and, the " < " sign they used is probably needed as its more likely to be under 2 watts.

Until you find out, treat it as Class 4.


Any other info/clues?


:D

Thanks for the repy. And no other clues, sorry. Other than it operates on 2 x aaa batteries!

I would have thought that a high power laser of 2000mW would require a larger power and wouldn't do things like cut through tape etc?

Sorry for the stupid questions!
 

Rede96

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Dec 24, 2014
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Look on YT for what a 2w looks like and you can determine, but it's better if you have safety glasses.

There are a lot of similar pointers. But as I got it so cheap, less than $6 then I would assume that it is just a 5mW one. The only other label on the pointer says TY05

By the way what site is YT?

Thanks
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2014
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Hi, I bought a green 532nm laser pen when on holiday. The label says it is a class 2 and conforms to 21cfr. But the max output says it is <2000 mW

The pen has one of those kaleidoscope ends, but the end comes off to leave just a direct beem.

So I was a bit concerned if this is safe or not. As 2000mW causes flash blindness. If it is class 2 can the output really be 2000 mW?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

There is little to no chance a laser pen powered by AAA battery is a 2W 532nm laser. I think the highest handheld 532's sold are 1W give or take a couple hundred mW's and cost between $700-1000 dollars and are much larger than a pen host. Price you paid MAY be an indicator of approximate power to rule out. In other words if it cost a few dollars its probably not >100mW but you never know with some sellers.

I would agree with the suggestion you check out some videos on Youtube of differing wattage 532 lasers and what they look like then compare. In the mean time treat is as if it was an eye hazard just to be safe.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
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its your typical pen that probably has around 50-100mW of power, ignore what the label says, chinese laser pens and what says on the label you should take with a huge grain of salt so much incorrect info there.
 




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